"Defending the inventor, armed with the patent shield,

under the banner of inventions promoting progress..."

In view of the desire to spread the culture of innovation by strengthening the national systems for the protection of industrial property, the Italian and South Korean governments have entered into a wide ranging agreement whereby the two countries cooperate to combat counterfeiting and better protect industrial property.

The agreement is the result of an intense period of preparatory activity within the frame of co- operation already started by the Italian Ministry of Economic Development with other national offices competent in this field.

Within this three-year agreement, a yearly operational plan has been defined including a series of activities aimed at promoting IP culture and training individuals working in the field (as well as the public) in accordance with the national laws and the economic and financial targets of the respective home countries.

Particularly, the parties in their respective countries undertake to:
• promote reciprocal visits of representatives to each other’s offices;
• promote exchange of good practices identified and implemented at a national level by each office, particularly with reference to small and medium-sized companies;
• implement co-operative events regarding the promotion and dissemination of information and training material on intellectual property, particularly with reference to small and medium-sized companies;
• provide suitable channels for the dissemination of information and services to users of both parties;
• promote the organisation of workshops and seminars on issues of common interest with the representatives of the different public and private sectors in the field of intellectual property;
• cooperate in organising seminars and events in the matter of intellectual property;
• within the limits of one’s own competence, perform actions designed to effectively combat counterfeiting;
• strengthen bilateral cooperation with regards to e-learning, sharing patent information and using IT in administrative computerised systems.